Amalgamator.



UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. LIGHTNER, .OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECTAND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, ONE-THIRD TO WILLIAM PRIEST AND ONE-THIRD TOHENRY FEIGE, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

CALIFORNIA.

AM'ALGAIFIATOR.

Specification of Iletters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed December 27, 1904. Serial No. 238,464,

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY L. LIGHTNER, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of-San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented'new and useful Improvements in Amalgamators,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus for the amalgamation or saving ofprecious or' valuable metals.

It consists in the combination and arrangement of mechanism and indetails of construction which will be more fully explained by referenceto the accompanying drawings, in. which- Figure 1 is a side elevation ofmy apparatus, partially in section. Fig. 2 is a similar View lookingfrom the right of 'Fig. 1.

It is the object of my invention to combine with a surface of mercury oran amalgamated surface a device adapted to discharge air under pressureupon said surface in such a manner as to move the material which hasbeen delivered upon the surface and to separate therefrom any gold orvaluable heavy substance, which separated material will be retained andthe gangue will be discharged.

The device may be employed in various ways, either operating in a'directline or, as

shown in the present case, as a revolubleap- 'paratus.

In the present construction A represents a frame of any suitable sizeand propor and 2 is a circular pan depressed in then and rising towardthe periphery, the angle' at which the rise takes place being such aswill serve the required purpose in the best manner and which canbedetermined by experiment. The surface of the pan 2 may be of amalgamatedcopper, silver, or otherwise adapted to retain gold, silver, or othermetal capable of being amalgamated, or if such metal as platinum befound in the material whichis being worked the central portion of thepan may contain a body of mercury, so

that the platinum, being heavier than the n1ercury, will sink through itto the bottom and will thus be saved, while gold ,or silver will beamalgamated with the mercury.

Above the center of the pan 2 is suspended a hopper or receiver 3 of anysuitableor desired shape, into which the material to be treated isdelivered through a-pipe or sluice, as at 4. Through the center of thereceiver 3 passes a hollow pipe 5, and this is connected by a revolublejoint, as at 6, with the pipe 5", which forms an air-discharge from thefan blower 7. The loose joint 6 may be telescopic or otherwiseconstructed to maintain the continuity of the passage from the blowerthrough tain amount of movement. The movable portions of the apparatusare carried upon a vertically-movable frame, as at lent arrangement, asat9.

In order to revolve the shaft 5, I have shown a disk 10 mounted upon ahorizontal revolubleshaft, as at 11, with any suitable means for.communicating motion thereto, such as a pulley. The disk 10 has its faceadapted to contact with the peripheryr of a wheel, as at 12, this wheelbeing fixed upon the vertical pipe 5 so that its face being in contactwith the disk 10 motion from the disk will be com-. municated to theWheel and the tube will be revolved. The wheel is turnable within a at14, this arm may be raised or lowered and the Wheel moved along the tube5, so as. to bring it nearer to or farther from the center of the disk10, with a corresponding-change in'the speed of revolution. of the tubeand below the receiver 3 radial f tubular arms 15 project above theamalga- "mated surface 2, and these arms are perfo+ rated with jet-holesfor a purpose to be hereinafter described. In the present caseI haveshown a raised block 16 located in the center of the pan 2 and having aconcaved upper surface. The lower end of the tube 5 is or perforations17 The revolu ble apparatus as described may be supported upon suitableball or equivalent bearings, as ati18.

The bottom of the receiver or hopperifi has holes madepi n'it, as shownat 19, for the discharge of the material.--

ered into it through the conveyer 4.

apparatus being set in motion and ing applied to drive the fan withinits case, a blast of air will be discharged through the 8, and this isadjustable by a screw or equiva-' slotted arm 13, and by means of ascrew, as

At the lower end,

which has bee'nfdelive The operation willthen be as follows; pow

pipe 5 and through the holes 17 at the bottom the pipes and at the sametime allow of a cerconvexed and has in this convexed end holes and alsothrough the holes which are made in the radially-disposed pipes 15. Thepulp mixed with a sufficiency of water passes into the hopper orreceiver 3 and is thence delivered through the holes 19 at the bottominto the pan 2. The perforated arms 15 are adjusted with relation to thesurface below by raising or lowering the frame 8, and the speed at whichthey are revolved is regulated by the movement of the wheel 12 to orfrom the center of the disk 10 which drives it. The pulp is blown outfrom the central cup 16 by the blast of air through the hole 17, and theperforations in the pipes 15 discharge the air at such an angle withrelation to the bottom that the pulp is gradually moved outwardly by theblast of air delivered from the perforations and the movement is alsospiral and gradual by reason of the revolution of the perforated arms.Thus the pulp, gold, or any valuable material is constantly turned overand over and brought into contact with the mercury or amalgamatedsurface, with the result that anything capable of amalgamation will beretained upon the surface before the periphery of the pan has beenreached and the worthless material will be discharged over the edge. Ifplatinum or any material having a greater specific gravity and notcapable of amalgamation be found to be mixed with the other material, itwill sink through the body of mercury in the center of the pan and canbe collected whenever aclean-up is made.

The disk 10 can be adjusted at any time to provide for suitable drivingcontact with the wheel 12 by means of an adjusting-screw, as at 11".

By this construction I am enabled to provide a continuous feed ofmaterial and by the aid of the blast of air to separate and retain thevaluable metals While the waste is continually discharged over the edgeof the pan.

It will be understood that the air-blast might be used upon adirect-inclined amalgamated surface with equivalent results; but it isbelieved that the rotary apparatus will provide for more rapid andextensive work.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in an amalgamator of a circular amalgamated concavedsurface, means for supplying pulp and water upon the central portion ofsaid surface, and an air-blast apparatus having radial outlets capableof discharging jets directly upon said surface in a downwardly andoutwardly direction whereby the pulp is carried up the incline and thewaste is delivered over the outer edge thereof.

2. The combination in an amalgamator of a circular amalgamated concavedsurface, means for supplying water with pulp containing valuable metalcentrally upon the surface, an air-blast apparatus, a conducting-pipeand radially-disposed arms having perforations adapted to discharge ablast of air downwardly and outwardly upon the inclined surface.

3. ,T he combination in an amalgamator of a circular concavedamalgamated surface, means for supplying water and pulp containingvaluable metal centrally upon said surface, an airblast apparatus, avertical revoluble air-conveying pipe, arms projecting radially from thelower part of the pipe above the amalgamated surface, said arms havingjet-openings inclined downwardly and outwardly with relation to thesurface.

4. The combination in an amalgamator of a fixed circular concavedamalgamated surface, a receiver suspended above the center of saidsurface having discharge-openings in the bottom for mixed water andpulp, an air-blast apparatus, a vertical tube extending through thebottom of the receiver, radial tubular arms extending above theamalgamated surface having perforations for the discharge of airdownwardly and outwardly and means whereby said tube and arms arerevolved.

5. In an amalgamator, a concaved pan adapted to engage and retainvaluable metals, a receiver having a perforated bottom located abovesaid table, an air-blast apparatus, an air-conducting tube extendingtherefron'i vertically through the bottom of the receiver havingperforations in its lower end, radially-disposed perforated tubesextending outwardly from the vertical air-tube above the pan-bottom,means for revolving the tube and the arms, said means comprising arevoluble friction-disk and a wheel movable upon a feather on the tubeand to or from the center of the friction-disk with which it contacts.

6. An amalgamator comprising a concaved pan having its surface coated orcharged with mercury, a raised concaved center within the pan, areceiver for water and pulp suspended above the pan-center and havingdischargeopenings around the bottom, an air-blast apparatus, an air-pipeextending vertically therefrom through the bottom of the pulp-receiverhaving perforations in the bottom discharging into the convexity of theraised center, radial arms extending outwardly from the tube below thereceiver and in proximity with the concaved bottom, said arms havingair-discharge jet-openings in the lower part, a mechanism by which thearms are revolved and the rate of speed changed, a frame upon which theapparatus is carried, and means by which said frame may be raised ordepressed with relation to the pan.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY L. LIGHTNER.

Witnesses:

S. H. Nonnsn, E. VnReLz.

